


You Make Me Feel So Young

by chatterboxrose



Category: Glee
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe, M/M, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-31
Updated: 2014-03-31
Packaged: 2018-01-17 16:03:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1393795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chatterboxrose/pseuds/chatterboxrose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>lilsnix prompted: As soon as your soulmate is born, their name appears on your wrist in inky black. Blaine waited and waited, yet a name never showed up on his wrist. He continues on with life, albeit sad, believing that he was one of those rare people that didn't have a soulmate. At the age of twenty eighteen does the name 'Kurt E. Hummel' find its way on his wrist.<br/>Blaine Anderson was eighteen and pretty sure that, in a world where you get your soulmate's name on your wrist the moment they are born, he was never going to have a soulmate. Then on the day of his high school graduation, Kurt Hummel is born. His wait begins.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Make Me Feel So Young

The name of your soulmate appears on your wrist the very moment they are born.

This being said, some people are born with a name already on their wrists, because their soulmate is already out there living somewhere at the time, the name of their newborn soulmate just appearing.

 

Blaine Anderson goes many years without realizing the severity of what not having a name on his wrist means.

 

When he starts school most everyone in his class has a name on their tiny wrists. Blaine always knew his mom and dad had each others’ names on their wrists and his brother Cooper and his girlfriend had their names, but he didn’t realize that everyone had them.

 

He didn’t, though.

 

So he goes home and asks his mom what it means.

 

“It means… those names are your classmates’ soulmates,” she says, struggling for a long moment and choosing her words carefully.

 

“Oh,” says Blaine, as if he understands, but he doesn’t. “What does that mean?”

 

“It means it’s their – best friend. The person who is meant to be their best friend and one day the person they are going to marry. Like your dad and me.”

 

“Why don’t I have a name yet, mommy?” asks Blaine, looking down at his blank wrist.

 

His mom takes his hand and covers his wrist. “Because you get the name when your best friend, your soulmate, has been born.”

 

“So – my soulmate hasn’t been born yet?” he asks.

 

“No,” says his mom.

 

“But all the kids in my class already have their names. Why is it taking so long for my soulmate to be born?”

 

His mom reaches out and strokes his hair. “Because the perfect person for you hasn’t been made yet, sweetie. It is… it’s taking more time. God is taking His time because He knows how special you are. He wants to make someone just as special.”

 

“Okay,” says Blaine, because that does make sense. And he just accepts that and lives by it.

 

It’s a few more years before Blaine and his peers start to really understand what having a soulmate means and the years that pass between the time you don’t have the mark and when you do get it.

 

Things really get strange in middle school. Blaine still doesn’t have his soulmate’s name on his wrist and it worries him a lot. He wonders if he’ll ever have a soulmate – and if he does, what it will mean. Because unlike when he was five, Blaine can do the math. Blaine will be at least thirteen years older than his soulmate and that’s if he gets it tomorrow.

 

And unlike when he was five, Blaine now knows that your soulmate really is the person you marry; the person you love. And loving someone who is 13 years younger than you is something terrifying and strange for a teenager to think about. All the people Blaine knows got their marks when they were babies or at the latest, toddlers. They were only a few years in age away from their soulmates.

 

Other people say that his soulmate probably was stillborn, which means his mark would never appear. It’s been known to happen. Sometimes people get the name only to have it disappear because their soulmate has died – but even then, it usually leaves a mark. Blaine wonders if maybe he missed it – his soulmate was born and then died and he didn’t even notice – but his skin is flawless. That’s unlikely.

 

So in middle school people really start to take notice of his bare wrist. They tease him or pity him, depending on the theory they hold about why he doesn’t have a name.

 

Blaine wonders if he even wants a soulmate, by the time he gets to high school. He’ll have to wait so long for him to grow up so they can meet and fall in love.

 

The day he gets his soulmate’s name marked onto his skin is the day of his high school graduation.

 

It’s a beautiful day near the end of May. The year is 1994. Blaine is excited to graduate and leave his small town and Ohio behind him; there are too many people here who make fun of him for not having a soulmate and he’s just tired of it. In New York City, where he’s going to NYU in the fall, maybe he can blend in to the large sea of people more. Wear watches over his wrists or something to make it unnoticeable that he doesn’t have a name.

 

Then everything changes.

 

He notices the burn as he walks across the stage, but it’s just something slightly under his radar. He’s too happy to accept the diploma from his principal and pose for a photo.

 

Blaine had been one of the very first names called, being alphabetical, so he goes back to sit down. He finds himself itching at his wrist more than halfway through the ceremony, but he keeps his eyes straight ahead at the stage. He’s part of a lot of clubs in high school and he has a few fairly good friends he wants to see walk across the stage.

 

It’s when his principal is on stage announcing the Class of 1994 that Blaine looks down and sees it.

 

Written in neat script is a name. A name that Blaine honestly never thought he would ever get.

 

Kurt Hummel.

 

Blaine’s world falls out from under him.

 

Up until now, Blaine had been somewhat okay with not having a soulmate. He would just eventually marry another person who didn’t have a soulmate – either because they had been stillborn or died sometime down the line, Blaine didn’t know – and that was okay. But now it’s real. He has a soulmate and his soulmate, somewhere in the world, had just been born.

 

His life is tied to a baby that is probably only an hour old.

 

Blaine is eighteen.

 

How is this possible?

 

Around him his classmates stand and throw their mortarboards up in the air, but Blaine stays seated, staring down at the little letters that glare back accusingly at him.

 

Is Blaine sick? To be tied to someone so much younger than him? He’s never thought about a kid like that, of course not. He knows he’s gay, of course, that had been something that just came to him. His crushes had always been older than him, actually.

 

So how is this possible?

 

Blaine is so absorbed in the mark that he doesn’t notice at first that the classmate next to him, Jimmy Albert, has noticed his mark too.

 

Jimmy happens to be part of the group that made his high school experience unlikeable in the worst way.

 

“Finally got your mark, Anderson?” he sneers and Blaine looks up, shocked. He goes to cover his mark, pulling down the sleeves of his red graduation gown, but it’s really too late. “Too bad you’re a cradle robber, now,” he says, looking at him with judging eyes. Around them people stare, shocked by what they have overheard. Necks crane in effort to see the name on his wrist.

 

Blaine forces himself to stand. He pushes his way through the crowd. At least not everyone will know for a while. Jimmy and his friends will no doubt tell everyone – but at least he doesn’t have to hear their whispers in school the next day.

 

He’s technically free.

 

“Blainey!”

 

Blaine looks up. His brother Cooper and his wife are nearing Blaine, their parents trailing behind with wide smiles. At seeing them, Blaine forces a smile and hurries over.

 

“We should get going –“ he says, because he wants to get the hell out of here.

 

“But we need to take photos!” says Cooper. He holds out a new camera and Blaine is forced into taking photos with everyone in the family. Blaine knows his smile will appear woefully forced in all of them, but he can’t seem to care.

 

Blaine is quiet throughout his celebration dinner at his favorite restaurant that night. He keeps his cardigan on throughout the meal, though it’s warm outside. Summer has come to Ohio already and he knows his mother looks over with questioning glances throughout the meal.

 

It’s not till they’re home that Blaine sits his parents down and tells them.

 

Cooper is at the hotel with his wife; Blaine can’t bear to tell them just yet. But he has to at least tell his parents. Maybe they’ll know what to do.

 

His parents stare at him, and the mark when he shows it to them, with wide eyes. He explains that he got it during the graduation ceremony and honestly, he feels like he’s about to pass out.

 

“I – oh honey,” says his mom. She holds out her hand for him and he takes it. Then, in a move that’s probably embarrassing for an eighteen year old, she pulls him in closer and sits him on her lap. Blaine actually curls into her. Then he feels his dad’s hand on his back; comforting and solid.

 

“How could this have happened?” he asks quietly, voice breaking.

 

“Honey, it’s natural,” says his mom. “Everyone gets their mark –“

 

“How is having a soulmate that’s 18 years younger than me normal, Mom?” he snaps.

 

“I know it’s not – not conventional,” says his mom. She lets out a weary breath. “But did you know how worried I was that you wouldn’t have a soulmate at all? At least you aren’t going to be alone in your life. You have proof that you’re going to be able to share it with someone who is – who is perfect for you.”

 

Blaine shakes his head and sits up on his mom’s lap. He feels so young all of the sudden. Or maybe it’s that he wishes he was younger.

 

“But mom. He’s – he’s just been born and I’m eighteen. When he’s eighteen I’ll be – thirty-six?” Actually talking through it makes Blaine a little hysterical, honestly. It’s going to be twice as old as he is now before he can legally even do anything with his soulmate. Not that he would want to meet him before he’s of age anyway. He’ll be so – old and his soulmate so young. “Why did this have to happen? He’s gonna be just a kid and I’m going to be grown up.”

 

His mom puts her hand on his cheek. “Remember what I said when you were little? That God was just taking the time to make someone really special for you?”

 

“Mom, come on.”

 

“Well, this Kurt Hummel must be very special if he took eighteen years to make – just for you,” his mom continues, ignoring his comment.

 

It’s a nice thought. Blaine had always liked what his mom had told him back then; that God or whoever made soulmates was saving Blaine someone really special. This wasn’t the wait Blaine had had in mind, though. “But…but I’m going to be alone for so much longer,” says Blaine, defeated. And he is.

 

“Oh I know baby, I know,” says his mom. “But – you’ have your soulmate to look forward to. Even though there are these years – he’s meant for you, sweetheart. Everyone knows that. Even if there is a gap in age or they seem unlikely – they are meant for you and you just have to remember that, however unconventional. You keep your head high and be strong and just – wait. Because your soulmate, whoever he is, I can tell you is worth the wait.”

 

Blaine slips in-between his parents on the couch and they all just sort of – hold each other for a long time.

 

Blaine turns his mom’s words over in his head for a long time. And they do make a lot of sense to him, even though half of Blaine is angry with fate or God or whoever assigns soulmates. It just has made Blaine’s life so much more complicated.

 

He’s in higher spirits, though, by the time he gets to New York a month later. No one around him knows that he’s only had his soulmate’s name on his wrist for a month. That somewhere a little Kurt Hummel is probably drooling in a crib or something. No, he’s just another guy with a soulmate mark, waiting for that soulmate to come into his life.

 

And Blaine is ready to wait for him. Because his mom is right – Kurt Hummel is his perfect match. It doesn’t matter the years between them because whoever made the rules decided that they were. People couldn’t argue with that.

 

So Blaine starts college and lives his life. He keeps his eyes ahead to the future – waiting for the day he’ll meet Kurt Hummel and in the time in-between, focusing on his career. Blaine wants to be a singer one day; maybe on Broadway if he can do it, and he’s going to make it happen. Love will just have to wait.

 

There are other things that don’t wait. He’s already kissed two boys in high school. Boys who didn’t mind not sharing their first kiss with their soulmates. And in Blaine’s mind, he’s not going to meet his soulmate and be a thirty six year old virgin or something. So love waits, but sex does not.

 

It’s always people he trusts, that he has sex with. He doesn’t want a hook up or one night stand or anything – he usually has his experiences with his good friends from college that don’t mind having a little fun, either, before they meet their soulmates. And it works out. Because there is a trust there, a familiarity, but both parties know it’s not love or permanent. Their friendship remains intact.

 

Even though, in some ways, Blaine feels like he’s waiting and waiting for his life to begin as the years pass, he does achieve his dreams in some way. He graduates college and goes on audition after audition, finally landing small roles. Those small roles become bigger roles until one day, he lands The Big One.

 

After that, it’s all about waiting for Kurt Hummel.

 

 

 

Kurt Hummel is stuck.

 

He’s stuck in Lima, Ohio, the place he thought he’d being leaving in the dust after graduation. Yet here he is. It’s November and he graduated seven months ago and he’s still in the same town and in the same job at the Lima Bean.

 

He’d wanted to go to New York. He’d applied to NYADA and auditioned and he was sure he blew them away.

 

Then he hadn’t gotten in.

 

Kurt wasn’t sure what else he was supposed to do. He knew he should have applied to other schools, but NYADA just seemed like the best plan. Which left him high and dry in the end, of course.

 

So Kurt lives out his days working at the Lima Bean part time and then helping at his dad’s garage for some more money; he’s starting to save for something – what, he isn’t sure. He wants to reapply to NYADA in December and maybe send applications to NYU as well. But the whole thing just seems to be – flat. It’s not as exciting as it was seven months ago, the lackluster of real life setting in. Even if he does get into NYADA or NYU, how is he supposed to know if he’s good enough anymore if he gets in on a second chance? Auditions for Broadway shows don’t really have second chances, after all.

 

On a whole, his life is a mess. A joke. And Kurt can’t find a way out of it.

 

Kurt hates it when these thoughts creep up on him at work. He’s busy trying to make a cappuccino and suddenly start worrying about the future and mess up on a order. Which happens and his manager corrects him before he gives it to a customer, thankfully.

 

Kurt tries to focus himself after that and zones in on the morning rush, making drink after drink.

 

Things start to slow down around eleven or so and he leans down to restock cups until the cashier, Jane, sets down a new order.

 

It’s really easy, too – a medium drip with a bit of cinnamon and sugar. Kurt makes it easily and then walks to the counter to set it down.

 

It’s when he’s looking at the cup to actually call out the name that his heart drops.

 

“Medium drip for - B-Blaine,” he says, voice stumbling over the name.

 

That’s his soulmate’s name.

 

Kurt has never actually met another person named Blaine. There are famous people, of course, named Blaine. There’s even a Broadway star and a designer that have his soulmate’s full name – Blaine Anderson. Both of them are older, though, so Kurt is pretty sure they’re not his. He even thinks the designer is in his fifties.

 

That’s why it’s so surprising to see the name in a sleepy coffee shop in Lima.

 

It’s that fact alone that makes Kurt stand there as the man comes over to claim his coffee, though he probably could go back to working.

 

The man that comes over is a bit shorter than Kurt, with black hair that is styled with gel. He dresses nicely, almost out of place for Lima, in nice fitted jeans and a gingham button up and bright red cardigan with a matching bowtie. He smiles at Kurt, as he reaches out for the coffee, laugh lines becoming more prominent around his eyes when he does.

 

He can’t possibly be Kurt’s soulmate. He’s older.

 

But he is so handsome.

 

“Thank you,” he says, his voice rich. His eyes glance down at Kurt’s chest, at his name tag, and his eyes widen for a moment. His eyes come back up to Kurt’s. “Kurt,” he says, his voice suddenly a bit breathless.

 

Blaine’s heart jumps a bit at the name. It’s not the first time he’s met a Kurt. One had actually been a Curt, and though both times he knew it wasn’t his soulmate, it had stirred excitement in his stomach.

 

Now, looking at a man that looks to be around the same age as his soulmate would be, his heart pounds faster.

 

That’s what makes Blaine burst forth with the question.

 

“What year were you born in?”

 

The question itself confuses Kurt, who was a bit busy just staring at the handsome man with wide, hazel eyes.

 

“Um, 1994?” he answers, making the man’s eyes go a bit wide.

 

“Month? Day?” he follows up in a rush.

 

“May 27th,” answers Kurt, raising an eyebrow at him. “What –“

 

“Kurt Hummel,” says the man, looking a little dazed.

 

And that’s when Kurt realizes.

 

“Blaine – Blaine Anderson?”

 

This is the man that has the name on his wrist? The one his parents say he was born with? That they passed off to mean that his soulmate was probably anywhere from a day to a few years older than him? His dad was born with his mother’s name, of course, and she ended up being just a month and a half older.

 

But this Blaine Anderson was a great deal older by the looks of it. Not just a few years.

 

“I don’t understand,” says Kurt. “You’re –“

 

“I’ve been looking for you forever,” says Blaine, and Kurt realizes that his eyes are welling up with tears. He holds his coffee cup tightly and his free hand comes out to rest on the counter, right next to Kurt’s. He doesn’t reach out to touch Kurt, though, which Kurt is thankful for in that moment.

 

“How – how long exactly?” asks Kurt, voice shaking.

 

Blaine takes a deep breath. “I’m thirty-six years old,” he admits.

 

“Oh – oh god.”

 

Kurt was nineteen. His soulmate was thirty-six. How was this supposed to even work?

 

“Please, can I talk to you?” asks Blaine. He glances behind Kurt. “I’ll talk to your manager if I have to. I just – I need to sit down and talk to you. Please.”

 

“I – yeah. Let me just.”

 

Kurt turns and hurries off to the back room on autopilot, only feeling slightly guilty at leaving his two other co-workers to deal with the drinks. At least it’s not too busy, still. He finds his manager Jerry, who isn’t actually that bad if it’s a good day, and tells him truthfully, standing in the doorway of his office: “I just met my soulmate can I – I just need a moment –“

 

And he never knew that his manager was a hopeless romantic because he almost tears up as he tells Kurt to take the day off – with full pay. “You need to be with your soulmate right now,” says Jerry. “It’s important. Go.”

 

And so Kurt hangs up his apron and grabs his bag and hurries off. Blaine is leaning up against the counter, playing with the lid of his coffee. He sits up straight when Kurt comes out, looking as nervous as Kurt feels. When Kurt steps right up to him, he realizes that he’s taller by a significant amount – which is a bit confusing.

 

“Can you –“

 

“I’m free to go,” says Kurt. “I – where can we go?”

 

“Is it okay if we go somewhere private?” says Blaine. “I just. I know this is hard. It’s hard for me, too. And I don’t want to do it in public.”

 

“Yeah, that’s fine,” says Kurt, because he understands where Blaine is coming from.

 

“I’m – I don’t live here,” says Blaine. “But I’m in town visiting my parents. They’re out at the moment and well. If you don’t mind it, we can go to their house.”

 

The reality of being alone with his soulmate – who is twice his age – sends a rush of nerves through Kurt’s body. Blaine must notice because he quickly follows up with a promise to stay in the living room – whatever he wants.

 

“I just want to talk,” says Blaine. “Really, Kurt.”

 

And Kurt agrees, because the look in his soulmate’s eyes is enough to convince him.

 

Kurt follows behind Blaine in his rental car, wired the whole drive to Blaine’s parent’s house. Kurt parks on the street and lets Blaine unlock the door as he talks to Kurt, his own tone nervous.

 

“I got in last night. My parents had a few things to do but I wanted to stay in and sleep. Then I got up and really wanted some coffee and well – I ended up at the Lima Bean,” says Blaine. He opens the door wide and waits for Kurt to get in. “I guess – well. Maybe I know why I had the urge to go now.”

 

The house is nice and tastefully decorated. Kurt likes it. He walks in and looks around.

 

“Um,” says Blaine. “I could make us some tea? Maybe that would be nice before we talk.”

 

“Okay,” says Kurt.

 

“Just – make yourself at home. I’ll be right back.”

 

Blaine walks in the direction of the kitchen – or Kurt assumes – leaving him alone.

 

He takes a long, shaky breath.

 

Then he walks over to sit on the couch, until he gets distracted by a wall full of family photos.

 

There are photos of what must be Blaine’s parents. His mother is small, like himself, and has an elegant beauty to her. His dad has Blaine’s strong jaw, but clear blue eyes.

 

The same eyes are in the face of a man that could be Blaine’s brother in a different photo, smiling with a woman and a little baby.

 

Then Kurt starts to see Blaine in all the different stages of his life.

 

There is one of him and his brother and Blaine can’t be more than five. They stand outside this house with their bikes.

 

Kurt’s eyes travel over the years of memories until he settles on a photo of Blaine and his family gathered around him in an auditorium. He wears a red graduation robe and he smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He looks almost…sad, actually. Not how you would imagine someone on his high school graduation day.

 

“That’s the day I got my mark,” says Blaine behind him, making him jump and turn around. Blaine stands there, holding two boxes of tea.

 

“Your – graduation?” asks Kurt, after he realizes what Blaine just said.

 

“Yeah.” Blaine stares at the photo for a long time.

 

“You…don’t look happy,” says Kurt.

 

“I guess I wasn’t. Not at first. I literally just found it out a few minutes before this photo. I was really overwhelmed that day,” says Blaine. “I wish I had been able to smile more in the photos. But all I could think of was how my soulmate – you – was just born and I was eighteen and I didn’t get how that could work then. My mom made me feel a little better later but at the time I was a mess. Some of my classmates found out when they saw me looking at the name and well. Not having a mark in high school already made me sort of a freak.”

 

Kurt can only imagine. People probably thought his soulmate had died. Was stillborn. Something awful. And when he got the mark – age difference happened with soulmates, of course, but even this was extreme.

 

“I can’t believe this,” says Kurt. “I ruined your high school graduation by being born.”

 

“Hey, no.” Blaine reaches out and puts his hand on Kurt’s shoulder in a comforting gesture. His voice is soft and causes chills on Kurt’s skin. “You didn’t ruin it. I was just – really scared. My mom assured me that it didn’t matter that there was this huge gap between us – because you were still my soulmate. Even with this against us, we’re meant to be together. And I just – I want you to know that, okay? I’ve come to terms with this over the years but I know it must be all new and scary to you.”

 

“Yeah,” says Kurt. “I never thought – of course I’ve had your name all my life, but I just thought maybe there was a few months or years difference. Not – not this much.” Kurt looks at Blaine and realizes that this is real. His soulmate really is thirty six years old and Kurt is just a kid who graduated high school seven months ago and is stuck in his home town.

 

“Come on. I wanted to ask you what kind of tea you wanted. Let’s go sit down, I think we got ahead of ourselves here.”

 

Kurt follows Blaine to the kitchen this time. He sits at the table when Blaine boils the water and puts tea bags into two separate mugs. He asks if Kurt wants honey or sugar and he answers, “Both.”

 

Finally Blaine sets down a steaming cup in front of him and sits down. “So.”

 

“So,” says Kurt.

 

“I’m sorry if this is a lot,” says Blaine. “I know it must be.”

 

“A little. I just – I never really thought of this happening,” says Kurt. “I always thought…well, it’s silly.”

 

Blaine reaches over and slides his hand so just the tips of their fingers touch. “I’m sure it’s not silly.”

 

Kurt takes a deep breath. “I always thought – that I would meet my soulmate when I went to college. Maybe he’d be my roommate or in my first class and sit next to me and I’d look over and just – know. Maybe the professor would take role and his name would be read off and I’d hold my breath until he got down to the H’s and then he would know, too. I just always thought he’d be…around my age. I never had a reason to think otherwise.”

 

Blaine is nodding at him, no judgment in his eyes. “I understand. For the longest time – I thought I didn’t have a soulmate. I didn’t have a scar from a soulmate that had died, but things are known to be different when it comes to that. I thought I would settle down with a guy that didn’t have a soulmate either and we’d be as happy as we could be together. Then I got your name and – my life felt like it was turned upside down.”

 

“But – you said your mom…said things that made you feel better?”

 

“When I grew up not having a name on my wrist, my mom always said that it was because God was making sure to take his time making my soulmate so he could be special for me,” says Blaine. “She reminded me of that. That whatever decides who are soulmates doesn’t make mistakes.” Blaine finally reaches over all the way and takes Kurt’s hand, then looks up, as if to ask if it’s okay.

 

Kurt makes no motion to move his hand. It feels… nice. In fact, from here Kurt can see Blaine’s soulmate mark; Kurt’s name written there across his skin.

 

It leaves him a little breathless, to actually see it.

 

“And I knew that it would be difficult, having to wait for you,” says Blaine. “But that it would be worth it – even if it was hard when we finally met. Because it’s a lot, to ask you to accept an old man for your soulmate.”

 

“You’re not an old man,” says Kurt. “I mean. You’re older, but…”

 

“Thank you,” says Blaine with a smile. “So you’re not – totally freaked out then?”

 

“I’m definitely freaked out,” says Kurt. Blaine’s smile drops. Kurt squeezes his hand. “But not freaked out enough to run away. Don’t worry. Because…you’re right. Your mom is right. Soulmates are undeniable. I don’t know how – but we’re going to work out.”

 

Blaine visibly relaxes in front of him. “I – I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear you say that. I was worried. I wouldn’t blame you.”

 

“I’m not going to give up the – the dream of having a perfect match just because it’s going to be a little hard to work things out at first,” says Kurt. He’s trying to stay positive, after all. “So let’s start with the basics. I don’t know anything about you and you don’t know anything about me. Let’s remedy that.”

 

So Blaine starts them off. He tells Kurt about his childhood a bit more than moves quickly on to college. He’s actually living in New York, which makes Kurt’s heart beat faster. Then he tells Kurt he’s on Broadway and Kurt nearly jumps out of his chair.

 

Because this is the Blaine Anderson that Kurt never thought could be his Blaine Anderson; for one, because he was famous and the second because he was so much older. Though of course, not as old as that designer.

 

Kurt has never been obsessed with any of the shows Blaine has been in, but he knows of them. He knows how good of a performer Blaine is and is immediately feeling better about their bond. He’d always hoped his soulmate was a singer.

 

“And what about you?” asks Blaine, taking a sip of his tea.

 

Kurt feels a little pathetic, just talking about his family and dreams of going to New York himself. “I want to do Broadway,” he says quietly. “Maybe something in fashion if that doesn’t work out. I – I actually didn’t get into the school I wanted to go to this fall. NYADA – it is hard to get in and I just… guess I wasn’t good enough.”

 

“Well that’s not fair,” says Blaine with a frown. “From what you say – you’re in Glee club and you were even Tony in the musical last year. I’m sure you’re amazing.”

 

“Yes, well, apparently not amazing enough,” says Kurt.

 

“They’re crazy.”

 

It makes Kurt happy, that his soulmate is already defending him.

 

“But why are you still here?” asks Blaine, tilting his head.

 

“I didn’t get into school,” says Kurt.

 

“Well, that doesn’t mean you couldn’t go to New York,” says Blaine. “Plenty of people go without a spot at school. You could work or maybe find an internship if you really want to do something with fashion.”

 

“Going to New York without a plan – it just sounds terrifying, if I’m being honest,” says Kurt.

 

“I guess it is,” says Blaine. “But isn’t that what makes life worth it? Taking chances and just – going for it? If your dream is New York, why are you still here?”

 

Kurt stares at Blaine for a long moment. “I guess…I never thought about it that way,” he admits. He almost wishes that Blaine was around to push him like this months ago. Even if going to New York with no plan is still terrifying, Blaine is right that he’s getting nowhere with his dream staying in Lima.

 

“I just – where am I supposed to live?” asks Kurt, entertaining the idea. “Even if I got a barista job I couldn’t pay for the cost of living in the city. I want to be in school at least – or at an internship. I’ve been looking at fashion things, because I’m interest in that – I can’t just go and drop everything.”

 

Blaine stares at him for a long moment. “But it’s your dream to live in the city, right?”

 

“Definitely.”

 

“Come with me.”

 

Kurt isn’t sure if he hears Blaine right.

 

“What?”

 

“I’m going back home after Thanksgiving. Come with me. I know it probably is – too sudden.” Blaine actually laughs, it’s so absurd. “But come and live with me. I have an apartment that gets lonely and – I want to get to know you. I’ve lived so much of my life without you and I just – I don’t want to waste a second now that I’ve finally found you.”

 

“This is. This is really fast,” says Kurt. He can’t even imagine telling his dad that he’s running off to New York at the end of the week with his thirty six year old soulmate.

 

“I know. I’m sorry,” says Blaine. “But – okay. It’s not quite a mid-life crisis – but I’m just tired of waiting for my life to start. That moment in the coffee shop an hour ago – that was when my life started. When I met you.” They’ve been holding one hand for the conversation, but Blaine reaches out and takes both Kurt’s hands in his. “And I know you’re so young and this is probably too much – but I swear. Even if we live together, we can move slowly. I have a guest room. We can just – date. Or be friends at first, even and try to pretend that what we have is normal. Because I don’t want to leave without you, Kurt Hummel. I’ll stay and let my understudy take over for as long as it takes, because I want to get to know you. I’ll stay here for as long as you’re comfortable.”

 

“No,” says Kurt. “You’re home is in New York. Your job – you can’t let that understudy have all the fun,” he says.

 

“I won’t leave without you,” says Blaine. “I know that sounds intense but…when you get older you do realize that if you know what you want you just have to stand there and commit.”

 

“And I get that,” says Kurt. “Which is why, even though it’s crazy, yes, I’ll come with you.”

 

It even surprised Kurt, saying yes. But he was just worried about his life going nowhere. Well now he’s going somewhere.

 

“Are you serious?” asks Blaine, who looks like an excited puppy all of the sudden.

 

“Yes,” says Kurt. “I – I’ve been waiting for you my whole life, honestly. You’re definitely not what I imagined…but I’m not complaining. It’s going to be difficult but – but yes. I’ll come with you.”

 

Blaine moves quickly, standing up from his chair and walking to the other side of the table. “Please,” he says, holding out his arms.

 

And Kurt stands carefully, slowly moving over to hug him.

 

Kurt feels Blaine melt into the hug. It’s strange, Blaine being shorter and tinier than him, but it feels right. Kurt sighs and lets himself fall into the hug as well.

 

Blaine’s parents come back a few moments later and Kurt jumps at the door opening and closing.

 

“It’s okay,” says Blaine. “They’ll love you.” And he leads Kurt into the living room to introduce them.

 

“Who is this?” asks his dad. He’s looking older than the photos, Kurt notes, his hair mostly all grey now.

 

“Kurt Hummel, my soulmate,” says Blaine.

 

Kurt holds his breath until –

 

Blaine’s mother lets out a little sob. Then she’s moving and hugging Kurt close. “He’s just – waited so long, oh god,” she sobs. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realized how – how much this would – thank you for - “

 

“Ma,” says Blaine, putting his hand on her back.

 

“Oh sweetie,” she says, hugging him too. And Kurt can see that with his mom, who is even smaller than him, in his arms, Blaine is tearing up. They lock eyes and in that moment, Kurt knows that he isn’t crazy. That running off to New York with a man he’s just met who is twice his age isn’t stupid. This man is his soulmate and has been waiting so long just to meet him.

 

It might be hard for Kurt, to discover that his soulmate is eighteen years older, but for Blaine, who knew all that time – Kurt can’t even imagine.

 

Kurt has lunch with the Andersons and it’s a really beautiful afternoon. Blaine’s parents embarrass Blaine by telling Kurt an ample amount of childhood stories and Kurt eats up every word.

 

It’s an hour or so after lunch, when Kurt sits in the living room with the Andersons, just talking, and Kurt keeps stealing glances at Blaine when his phone rings from inside his pocket. It’s his dad, which is unusual. He usually ends up texting if he needs anything, which had always surprised Kurt that he took to that form of communication so well.

 

“Hello?” he answers, excusing himself and walking just inside the kitchen.

 

“Kurt – good,” says his dad. “Look, I was surprising you at work with Carole and came to work to tell you something and – you weren’t here.” At his dad’s words, his stomach drops out. “I thought maybe I got your hours wrong but I asked your boss and – he says you left early with your soulmate. Your soulmate, Kurt?”

 

“Dad,” says Kurt, his breath shaky. It’s not like he didn’t expect to tell his dad – he just didn’t expect to tell him over the phone. “Look. I just – he just walked into the coffee shop and we – Jerry was fine with me taking the day off to talk to him.”

 

“I’m not mad, kid,” says his dad. “I get that you gotta have time alone with your soulmate right after you find each other – I was just worried. Look, Carole and I wanted to take you and Finn out for dinner. Carole got a gift certificate to that restaurant just outside of town – the fancy one you’ve wanted to go to?”

 

“That’s – that’s amazing,” says Kurt.

 

“And I want you to bring Blaine,” says Burt. Of course he knows his name. He has told Kurt all his life how happy he and his mom were when he was born with the name on his tiny wrist. “We wanna met him.”

 

“I – I’ll ask,” says Kurt. He lowers the phone walks to the edge of the living room. Blaine is talking with his mom, nodding and smiling, but when Kurt enters, his gaze immediately turns to him. “Um. My dad and stepmom… they want to meet you. We were going out for dinner tonight –“

 

“I’d love to,” says Blaine, eyes lighting up. “If it’s okay with you.”

 

Kurt thinks about it. He has no idea how his dad is going to take the age of his soulmate at all. Or the fact that he’s moving to New York, apparently. Then again, it’s going to happen in just a few short days, if he’s really serious about going, so he’ll have to find out sooner or later.

 

Kurt just hopes that his heart doesn’t fail when he does.

 

“Okay,” says Kurt, back into the receiver of the phone. “He wants to come. Um. We can drive over and meet you there? Since going it one car might be a bit….much.”

 

“Okay. We’ll be there at six. And Kurt?”

 

“Yes, dad?”

 

“I’m so, so happy for you,” says his dad and his voice is suddenly emotional. It makes Kurt’s chest tighten. “Your mom and I – we wanted the best for you your whole life and we knew this Blaine was it. And I just wish she was here to see him.”

 

“Me too,” says Kurt thickly.

 

Kurt hangs up and returns to the living room, telling Blaine about the plan.

 

“I need to go home and change, though,” says Kurt. “My work clothes are just not going to do for dinner.”

 

“Okay,” says Blaine. “Do you…want me to come with you?”

 

“No, how about I pick you up on the way to dinner? Your house is on the way,” says Kurt.

 

Blaine smiles and Kurt is sure that he can see that Kurt needs an hour or so to himself now, to really get used to the whole thing. “Okay. Let me walk you out.”

 

Blaine’s hand connects with his as they walk out the street where Kurt is parked. Kurt is sort of amazed at how natural it feels. He has never held hands with anyone before.

 

“I just want to tell you, again, how thankful I am to finally find you,” says Blaine, his voice low.

 

“I – I am too,” says Kurt.

 

“Even if I’m old?”

 

Kurt laughs. “You’re not that old,” he says. “I told you that.”

 

“I hope you don’t change your mind,” says Blaine and even though Kurt is sure it’s meant as a joke, he does look sad as he says it.

 

“I won’t,” says Kurt. He’s pretty sure he won’t, at any rate. Even though it should be crazy, it doesn’t feel like it is.

 

On the drive back home, Kurt tries to process everything that’s happened so far today. Never had he thought this morning when he woke up that this would be the day he met his soulmate. Nor did he ever think he would be so much older.

 

Kurt is still thinking over everything when he gets home – the house is empty and he figures that his dad and Carole are still out – and goes upstairs to shower. He stands in the hot spray for a long time, just thinking. He likes Blaine so far, he’s sure of that. He just feels…safe around him. He knows that’s how you’re supposed to feel with your soulmate, so that helps things.

 

The logistics are just going to be harder to figure out.

 

Like how Blaine is probably so much more…experienced that he is. With kissing and sex and everything else in a relationship. Kurt doesn’t expect that Blaine waited for him at all. It was eighteen years he’s waited, after all. Or really, closer to nineteen now.

 

Kurt decides that isn’t something he should worry about now. Yes, he’ll be moving in with Blaine, but he said himself that they can take things slow. And honestly, Kurt is going to need slow.

 

He gets dressed, though it takes a while to figure out what to wear. Then he does his hair and sits in his room for a while. He doesn’t feel like getting online or texting Mercedes or Rachel; both of his friends had followed through with their dreams after graduation. Mercedes went off to LA and Rachel to New York. It had put a strain on the relationship, Kurt knew. How would it be to be living in the same city as Rachel now?

 

Finally it’s time to go pick up Blaine and Kurt leaves just as his dad and Carole are driving down the street to their house. Kurt waves, but doesn’t stop. He wants to do this with Blaine.

 

Blaine has changed when he picks him up, even though he looked perfectly put together when they met earlier. Instead of jeans, though, he wears tight fitting black dress pants with a light blue button up and a checkered blue bowtie. Over it all he’s sporting a navy blue jacket and a red scarf.

 

“You look beautiful,” Blaine says when he gets into the car, which makes Kurt’s face heat up.

 

“Thank you,” he replies. “You – you do too.”

 

Blaine just smiles.

 

When they drive the thirty minutes to the restaurant, it’s quiet at first. Then a song comes on and suddenly – he and Blaine are singing along to it. It’s a duet from one of Kurt’s favorite Broadway musicals and without even communicating they both take a different part and just sing.

 

After the song ends, they both start to laugh and honestly, Kurt knows then that there really is a bond between them.

 

 

Blaine stares at Kurt throughout the drive, even when he doesn’t notice it. After they had sung together, conversation had started to move comfortably. Blaine was honestly blown away by Kurt’s voice – he sounded even more beautiful than he looked, which really was saying something.

 

Everything about Kurt was what he had hoped for, in all the years he waited.

 

Most of all, Blaine really did love the fact that Kurt looked so mature. He never wanted to meet Kurt before he was at least seventeen, just because Blaine thought it would be strange. Kurt though looked mature and masculine and he was taller than Blaine, which gave him chills for some reason. And his arms in the black polo he wore for work were pale and muscular –

 

Basically everything about Kurt was perfect.

 

Blaine hoped that wasn’t too naïve of him to think.

 

As they get closer to the restaurant, Blaine can see Kurt get nervous. He reaches over and takes Kurt’s hand.

 

“What is it that you’re worried about, exactly?”

 

Kurt looks over to him and breathes out. “That my dad will be mad at you, just because you’re older. That he’ll say I can’t go to New York. That I’ll put strain on his heart.” Kurt had told him about his dad’s heart condition and how it worried him.

 

“I’m sure it will be fine,” says Blaine. “A shock, perhaps, but your dad sounds like an amazing person. And you’re an adult. You can go wherever you want – though I would understand if you want to delay coming to New York so you don’t put a strain on your father.” Blaine wants to be selfish and just take Kurt back to New York and start their life together – but he also understands how important family is. He doesn’t want to cause Kurt to make a mistake with that.

 

Kurt smiles over at him and nods. “Thank you. For just – understanding.”

 

“I’ll always try to understand you,” says Blaine.

 

They get to the restaurant and Kurt points out his parents and stepbrother waiting just outside. Blaine has reached over and taken his hand; he noticed before how much Kurt seemed to like the contact.

 

Kurt’s dad notices them first as they approach and Blaine can see the moment he realizes that Blaine looks…older. Kurt’s step-mother and brother turn and see him and follow in the realization.

 

“So,” says Kurt, when he finally stands in front of the group of three. “Dad, Carole, Finn – this is my soulmate, Blaine Anderson. Blaine, this is my dad Burt, Carole and Finn.”

 

Poor Kurt, thinks Blaine, he looks so nervous.

 

“It’s so amazing to meet you all,” says Blaine, reaching out and offering his hand to Burt first.

 

Burt takes it after a moment, shaking his hand strongly. He has a good grip. Kurt had mentioned that he was in Congress – he must get it from that.

 

He turns to Carole and shakes her hand, though she seems a little dazed, and Finn’s, who just seems confused.

 

“You’re old,” says Finn bluntly and he hears Kurt hiss, “Finn!”

 

“Kurt, it’s okay,” laughs Blaine. He turns to Finn. “I guess I am?”

 

“How old are you exactly?” asks Carole, eying him carefully.

 

“Carole, really, we’re not even inside yet,” says Kurt.

 

“It’s a valid question, kid,” says Burt.

 

“I’m thirty-six, sir,” says Blaine.

 

Finn whistles.

 

“Finn!” Kurt hisses again.

 

“Let’s go inside,” says Burt. “Our table should be ready.”

 

Kurt lets out a breath beside him and they follow after the group. It is rather chilly outside, after all.

 

When they are seated around a large table, they look to their menus first in silence. They all order and Blaine asks for a glass of wine as well. Blaine doesn’t miss the way Carole and Burt exchange looks. He can’t help it; wine with dinner is a thing he and his friends always do. He just hopes Kurt’s parents aren’t worried about him serving Kurt alcohol – he most certainly won’t if it’s a concern.

 

When the menus are cleared away is when it begins.

 

“Is this really happening?” asks Burt, looking to Kurt.

 

“It is,” says Kurt firmly, and Blaine is thankful that he hasn’t run away screaming yet. “Blaine is my soulmate.”

 

“Blaine,” says Burt and he sits up even straighter in his chair. “I just…I’m trying to understand this.”

 

“I got my soulmate mark when I was eighteen, sir, the day of my high school graduation,” Blaine explains. “To be honest, I never thought I was going to get it. I can’t say getting it was a pleasant surprise, at first, because I had the same concerns you probably have now. How could I possibly be tied to someone so much younger than myself?”

 

Burt gives him a nod, and Blaine continues.

 

“Look, I’ve done a lot of thinking in the last eighteen years and I’ve waited for your son – my soulmate – my entire life,” says Blaine. He looks to Kurt and grabs his hand resting on the table. “I know it’s unconventional, but I have to trust in the bond between soulmates. This was meant to be, sir, and as long as Kurt is comfortable with it then so will I.”

 

Burt lets out a sigh. “Look, I’m gonna be straight with you. It terrifies me that my son’s soulmate is a grown adult. But I’m not gonna be standing in the way of it, either. You’re right. It is fate and gonna happen no matter what I say.”

 

“Burt,” says Carole. “I’m just – isn’t it a little inappropriate?”

 

“I’ll give you that. It might look that way,” says Burt, turning from Carole and then back to Blaine. “If you had come into Kurt’s life even just three years ago, I would have told you to come back when he was eighteen, no question. But as it is – you’re both adults. You can choose what to do with your life. And I’ll be happy for you – even I can see how happy you are already.”

 

Kurt looks over to him and gives him a small, secretive smile.

 

“So. Now that is out of the way,” says Burt, grabbing his napkin and unrolling his silverware. “Why don’t you tell us about yourself, Blaine?”

 

So Blaine talks. He’s just glad Burt reacted so well. He tells them about his family and moves into his career. He can see how surprised Burt is, when he says he lives in New York and performs on Broadway. Burt looks to Kurt and he shakes his head.

 

“I know,” says Kurt.

 

“The soulmate thing really does work,” says Burt. “Broadway. New York.”

 

“Yeah, you wanna live there, right?” says Finn, mouth full of the salads the waiter had brought out a few minutes before and Blaine can see what Kurt meant earlier today when he described his step-brother as “adorably clueless.”

 

“Yes,” says Kurt slowly, looking to Blaine. “I actually had something to say about that. You see, Blaine is obviously in Ohio visiting his family for Thanksgiving. He’ll be going back to New York on Sunday….and he’s asked me to come with him.”

 

“Oh,” says Carole, blinking once. “Isn’t that a little…fast?”

 

“It’s just – I told him –“ Kurt looks like he’s floundering. He looks over to Blaine.

 

“Kurt told me that New York was his dream,” says Blaine. “And I told him that sometimes, you have to just take your future into your own hands and that means going to a city without a plan. It’s selfish, too. I don’t want to leave Kurt right when I just met him, but Kurt insists that I don’t leave work for that long, as well.”

 

“So you’re moving to New York?” asks Finn, eyes wide. “Like, moving in with him?”

 

“Yes,” says Kurt. “At least. I want to. But I won’t go unless I have – well. I guess the blessing to go.” Kurt looks to his dad.

 

Burt looks thoughtful. Carole still looks worried. “Kurt, you did just meet him. And – well. Moving in with him seems a little…”

 

“But it’s not – look, I know it’s a lot and really fast,” says Kurt. “But things are going to move at my own pace. Blaine and I have talked this out and we want to get to know each other. But doing that from a few hundred miles away just doesn’t seem like the best option. And – I do want to go to New York. I have for a long time and this is my chance.”

 

Everyone turns to look at Burt in that moment.

 

“I’m fine with it,” says Burt and Blaine can see how surprised Kurt is at that.

 

“R-really?” he asks.

 

“Kurt, your mom and I moved in together two weeks after we met,” says Burt. He looks over to Blaine and explains. “We were twenty-two years old. I was crazy about her and she was crazy about me. And honestly – I wish I had done it a week sooner. I didn’t know then I would have so little time with her.”

 

Blaine notices, then, the way Burt rubs at his wrist. He can see the faint scars of a name there, the mark of a soulmate that has died. Blaine can sympathize – no, empathize. He had thought his soulmate had died too. He didn’t have a visible scar, but when he was eighteen and without a mark, what else was he supposed to think?

 

“So I get that you guys wanna move in together,” says Burt. “And Kurt – you’re supposed to do crazy, rash things like move in with someone suddenly when you’re young. But – I want you to know that he’s my son. That if you hurt him…” says Burt, turning to Blaine.

 

Blaine doesn’t even let him continue. “I understand,” he says. “I would never purposefully hurt him. Ever.”

 

Burt nods. “That’s all you really can promise, in a relationship. That you won’t hurt someone on purpose. Because it will happen – you’ll hurt each other. Know that. Be ready for it. Just because you’re soulmates doesn’t mean the relationship is easy.”

 

Carole seems to relent, then. She sighs. “Your dad is right. Just – we don’t want you to get hurt, Kurt.”

 

“I understand,” says Kurt. “But you can’t protect me forever. I’m an adult now. Finn and I – we’re going to be doing things without you now.”

 

“Which is good,” says Carole. “Really. Even though – it’s always sad, as parents, to see your kids go off without you.”

 

And like that, Blaine can see how close this weird little family is. Kurt had told Blaine that Carole and Burt met when Finn and Kurt were sophomores. That they started to date and finally got married during their junior year. Both had lost their soulmates and had their scars; now they were making a relationship between two unbonded people work.

 

It seemed to work just fine, in Blaine’s opinion.

 

Dinner goes better after that. There aren’t any more revelations, at least. Just a group of people talking and getting to know each other. Blaine is invited over dinner the day after Thanksgiving, along with his parents. It touches Blaine, to know that they want to include his family in things.

 

When the check comes, Blaine grabs it.

 

“Hey now, we have a gift certificate,” says Burt. “And the rest I’ll cover.”

 

“No, really, I want to do this for you,” says Blaine. “It was nice of you to invite me along.” He pulls out his wallet.

 

“Exactly, we invited you,” argues Burt. “That’s an expensive meal ticket.”

 

“Mr. Hummel, I assure you, it’s fine. I’ve been working on Broadway for more than a decade,” says Blaine, putting his Mastercard inside the checkbook without looking at it. “You guys can save that gift certificate for another time. Maybe you and Mrs. Hummel can come and have a romantic dinner by yourselves, sir.”

 

Burt shakes his head. “You’re something, you know that?” He looks down at Blaine’s wallet, then back to him. “You know money don’t solve everything?”

 

“Of course it doesn’t,” says Blaine. “I know that. But with all due respect, sir, it helps the people I care about out in life. That’s the best thing I’ve learned in life – what I’ve liked most about my success.”

 

Burt nods at that. “Call me, Burt, kid. That sir stuff isn’t me. I get it enough in Washington.”

 

“Yes, Burt.”

 

Blaine looks over to Kurt, who smiles at him.

 

When they’re driving back to Blaine’s parents’ house to drop him off, Kurt says quietly.

 

“I didn’t really realize until this evening that being on Broadway means you’re sort of rich,” he says.

 

“Your dad is right, Kurt,” says Blaine. “Money doesn’t solve everything. It sure does help, but it’s not everything.”

 

“I know,” says Kurt. “But…the thing that was stopping me from going to New York was money. It’s sort of something that was necessary for my dream to get moving, you know?” Then Kurt looks to him. “I feel weird accepting your money, though. I just met you and – I want to help you with things. Rent and groceries when I move in. It only seems fair.”

 

Blaine reaches over and puts his hand on Kurt’s knee. “Look, I want to take care of you. I know it might be like a lot to accept – but I have the money, Kurt. You paying rent at my place is just…it’s not necessary.”

 

Kurt frowns. “But I’ll feel like I’m just – leeching off of you. Or worse – like you’re my parent and I’m just living there.”

 

“Ugh, yeah, I don’t want you to feel like that,” says Blaine with a laugh. “But really. I understand what position you’re in. I was a broke college student too – and I know you’ll get into college, Kurt. You’ll reapply to NYADA or get into NYU and you’ll go. And I don’t want you to suffer through stuff like I did. Soulmates – partners – help each other. They share their wealth between them and I want you to know that even if it takes a while for you and I to be romantic at all – what is mine is yours, in my mind.”

 

“I don’t know – how comfortable I am about that,” says Kurt.

 

“I’ll make you a deal? I’ll pay for the necessities in life. The roof over our head – which is already mine, anyway – and food. You pay for the things you want. Clothing and fun stuff. I’ll only buy you things like that if you ask or if it’s a major holiday or present. And maybe a ‘hey I felt like getting you something’ present.”

 

Kurt rolls his eyes. “God, you’re one of those people who like to just give people presents for fun, aren’t you?”

 

“It’s been known to happen,” says Blaine, his expression serious. Kurt laughs.

 

“Can we reach an agreement on that?” asks Blaine. “I know it’s a lot and I get that there is a pride in not taking someone’s money – but I have it so I might as well spend it.”

 

“Okay,” says Kurt after a long moment. “It’s a start,” he says, his voice full of challenge.

 

Oh, Kurt is going to be his match in every way.

 

When they park in front of the house, Kurt actually gets out of the car too and they stand on the sidewalk. It’s cold out and Kurt’s hands are pushed deep into his pockets.

 

“Today was…” Kurt begins, looking at him with wide eyes. “Sort of magical? I don’t know.”

 

“It was,” says Blaine. “It really was.”

 

He really wants to kiss Kurt now.

 

“Kurt?” he says, voice soft. He steps in closer to Kurt, looking up at him through his eyelashes. “I know this has been a long, confusing day and – I understand if you say no. But – can I kiss you?”

 

He hears Kurt’s sharp intake of breath. The way he barely hesitates in nodding. “Yes,” he says.

 

Blaine leans in, putting his hand on Kurt’s wrist and pulling him in close as he presses his lips – probably too dry in the cold weather – against Kurt’s.

 

The fit of their lips is perfect though, the slide from the chapstick Kurt must have applied at some point after dinner giving. Kurt lets out one of those tiny gasps again, when their lips touch, then melts into the kiss after a moment. Blaine feels his arm come up, cupping Blaine’s cheek and pulling them together more. Blaine’s skin tingles at the contact and he just wants even more.

 

This is the best kiss of his life. He’s had others, of course, all in waiting for his soulmate – but that’s just it. He’d been waiting for this. This feeling of oneness, of perfect serenity that you could only ever have with one person: your soulmate. Everything just felt better, Blaine had heard and oh, were they right.

 

They break the kiss after a moment and Blaine feels Kurt quick breathing against his lips, as they still haven’t pulled away that much.

 

“Oh,” he says.

 

“Yeah, oh,” says Blaine. He laughs and hugs Kurt closer.

 

Kurt smiles and leans forward, pressing a small little kiss to his lips. “I could - get used to that. I was nervous. About kissing you. About doing anything, really. I know you – you’re older and have experience. I’m going to try to – be good for you.”

 

“You are good for me being exactly who you are, Kurt,” says Blaine. “And that was the single most amazing kiss of my whole life so, you really don’t have to worry.”

 

Kurt ducks his head, embarrassed. Blaine is pretty sure it’s the most adorable thing he’s ever seen.

 

“I’ll see you on Friday, then,” says Kurt, regretfully stepping away.

 

“I’ll text you?” asks Blaine.

 

“Blaine Anderson, if you text me at Thanksgiving dinner I’ll make sure your mother takes away your phone,” Kurt chastises. “Who is the teenager here?”

 

Blaine laughs. “I can’t help if I want to talk to you all the time.”

 

“Yes, well, go for a few hours at least,” says Kurt.

 

“I will. Have fun tomorrow,” says Blaine.

 

“You too. See you.”

 

Blaine notices he doesn’t say goodbye. He’s happy about that.

 

When Blaine gets to his room and falls back into bed – it’s the room that used to be his, which is now the guest room – he falls asleep and no longer dreams about a faceless soulmate; instead now he puts a face to the person and that person has expressive blue eyes and a crinkly smile.

 

“Part 2”

 

Packing up his room is harder than Kurt would have ever thought. Finn actually volunteers to help, which is confusing to Kurt because Finn is always the one to throw a few clothes into a suitcase the morning of a vacation.

 

It becomes clear about an hour into packing.

 

“You’re gonna be careful in New York, right?” asks Finn.

 

“Of course I am, Finn,” he replies.

 

“And Blaine. I know he’s your soulmate, but I mean… just because he’s older doesn’t mean I can’t beat him up if he hurts you or anything. I mean, he’s tiny, so.”

 

Kurt rolls his eyes and moves from where he’s organizing his closet and sits down next to Finn.

 

“Yes, Finn, I’ll call you up if I need you to defend my honor.”

 

“And I am really happy for you, you know,” says Finn after a long moment. “You finding your soulmate…that’s really cool.”

 

Kurt glances down at where Finn’s soulmate mark is; it had been a point of so much drama that it wasn’t Rachel Berry in high school. Kurt is pretty sure they’re done trying to make a non-match relationship work, though.

 

Kurt is one of the first of his friends to find his soulmate, to be honest. Tina and Mike have been bonded forever. Mercedes connected when Sam moved to town in their junior year. Other than that – he was the next, but it felt different than his friends. He felt like his relationship….it was going to be real and adult so much faster than theirs. Mercedes was in LA at the moment while Sam finished up his last year of high school and Tina and Mike were separated as well when Mike was in college. But he was moving in with his soulmate – who was thirty-six years old.

 

Kurt’s life had changed so much in just a few moments.

 

“It’s okay to be scared,” says Finn.

 

“I’m not scared,” says Kurt. “I’m – going to miss you and dad and Carole. And I guess. I’m a little scared. Even though I know he’s my soulmate.”

 

“Well, maybe that’s what you should think about when you get scared,” says Finn. “That he’s your soulmate and you don’t have a reason to be.”

 

Kurt has to admit – Finn has a good point.

 

Kurt lets out a deep breath and smiles at Finn. “You’ll have to come visit, okay? Who knows – maybe your soulmate is running around New York, too.”

 

Finn grins at him and nods. “Yeah. Okay.”

 

“Okay!” says Kurt, jumping up. “I’m going to need your brute strength to move my dresser. Let’s go!”

 

 

 

The day Kurt moves, he hugs his dad, Carole and Finn tightly at the airport before coming to Blaine’s side to go through airport security. Blaine had insisted he would ship all of Kurt’s other belongings to his apartment, which had been sent yesterday. All Kurt has is a large suitcase and a carry on bag.

 

Kurt is quiet, when they get onto the plane. It’s a little strange, to be sitting in first class, first of all. It’s also strange to only have a one way ticket.

 

He’s staring out the window, looking out at a state he’s called home for his entire life, when he feels a comforting pressure on top of his hand. Kurt looks over to Blaine, who gives him a soft smile.

 

“Are you okay?” he asks. Kurt shrugs. “I know you’re going to miss your family. I miss mine all the time. But…it’s part of growing up.”

 

“Yeah, I know,” says Kurt. “And I’m excited, I am. I finally get to move to the city of my dreams and I’m sitting next to my soulmate. I’m – I’m happy. I am. I’m just…”

 

“I understand,” says Blaine. “I do.”

 

Blaine brings Kurt’s hand up to his mouth and presses a kiss there, right next to his soulmate mark. The action is intimate and gives Kurt chills. He knows Blaine is a touchy feely person, just by knowing him for less than a week. They’ve only kissed that one night, but Blaine always reaches for his hand to hold it. This, though. This Kurt never thought he’d like – someone touching him and kissing him like it was natural – but with Blaine, he likes it.

 

“Your life is just beginning, Kurt,” says Blaine softly. “Our life.”

 

Our life, thinks Kurt.

 

He could get used to that, too.

 

 

When they walk into Blaine’s apartment, Blaine is nervous. Especially when Kurt sets down his bag and just sort of stares around the place with wide eyes.

 

“Um, so,” says Blaine, shutting the door behind him. “This is home.”

 

“Home,” says Kurt.

 

“I mean – it’s can be our home,” says Blaine. “Because really – my home is wherever you are now.”

 

Kurt turns back to him and, after a moment, walks up and takes his hand. “It’s beautiful. Really.”

 

“Let me show you around.”

 

Blaine takes him on a tour and tells him that any décor that’s around can change if he wants it too; Blaine knows that his whole apartment is just him and he wants it to be them.

 

Finally he shows Kurt his room – the guest room – and sets his bag down at the foot of his bed.

 

“Wow,” says Kurt, letting out a long breath that makes Blaine turn to him.

 

“What?”

 

“It’s just – like. I had this moment where – holy crap. You’re like – a man. A real life grown up with his own apartment and I’m just a kid who has never lived out of his parent’s house.” Kurt sits down on the end of the bed and sighs. “I must seem like a kid to you.”

 

“Hey,” says Blaine, sitting down next to him. “We’ve been over this before. I don’t – see it that way. Just because I’m older doesn’t mean anything, okay? Yes, you’re younger, but it’s not like you’re in diapers. We’re both adults here.”

 

"It just feels like I'm the kid here,” says Kurt honestly. “And really - you are the older one and I just don't know how I'm suppose to feel."

 

"You are equal in this, Kurt,” says Blaine. “You and I are in this together and it doesn't matter if I'm older because I see you as my equal. And I hope you see yourself like that, Kurt, because you're amazing and it doesn't matter if your life is just beginning because you're going to go places. And I hope you’re going to go places with me.”

 

“Of course I am,” says Kurt quietly. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

 

“You are, which I’m so glad about,” says Blaine. “I know it was selfish of me to ask you to drop everything and come here.”

 

“It wasn’t like I was dropping much,” says Kurt, standing up straighter. “You were right. I didn’t belong in Ohio. Just being in this city for a few hours – it feels right.”

 

“Well good,” says Blaine, patting the bed and then standing up. “Because you’re going to see just how right it is tomorrow. We’re getting up early and I’m showing you the town, okay?”

 

The smile Kurt gives him makes his stomach jump. “That – oh wow. Yes.”

 

 

 

The day out in the city is absolutely amazing.

 

Of course Kurt had seen some of the city when the glee club came here for Nationals, but that was only a few days and had been almost two years ago. This was now and this was with his soulmate.

 

Blaine knew the city like the back of his hand. He showed Kurt all his favorite places, along with the traditional tourist spots. The best part was how Blaine took his hand and lead him around. How Blaine took him to the top of the Empire State Building, though it was absolutely freezing, and pressed a kiss to Kurt’s cheek that warmed him.

 

Then Blaine pulled away and…Kurt really didn’t want him to.

 

“Wait,” he says. Blaine raises his eyebrows in surprise as Kurt leans in and, placing his gloved hands on his cheeks, and pressing his chapped lips against Blaine’s.

 

This kiss warms him all the way through his body and he feels the way Blaine breathes in.

 

It’s as good as the first kiss, maybe better. Kurt just wants to keep doing – this. He doesn’t know how comfortable he is with other things, but this, kissing Blaine, he can do.

 

“I’ve really wanted to do that again,” says Blaine in a soft tone when they part. “But I wasn’t sure if I was allowed.”

 

“You are,” says Kurt. “I just – I know I’m not ready for a lot, between us, but I’m ready for this.” He reaches out and takes Blaine’s hand.

 

The smile on Blaine’s face makes Kurt’s heart soar.

 

“Then I need to take you out on an official date, Kurt Hummel,” Blaine says, smile unwavering.

 

“You mean this isn’t one?” asks Kurt coyly.

 

“Well, any date with you would have to span the entire day,” says Blaine.

 

It really does. They end it with dinner at Blaine’s favorite restaurant, where the menu doesn’t even have prices. That’s still something to get used to, Blaine’s money. Kurt isn’t sure about it, still. He loves the idea, has always loved the idea, of not having to worry about money, but he thought he’d achieve it by himself.

 

The date day is perfect, though. After dinner they go home and put on a movie, which Kurt falls asleep halfway through. Blaine wakes him up and they kiss in the hallway, between their rooms.

 

Kurt falls asleep, pretty sure his life is perfect at the moment.

 

 

 

The domestic feeling that Kurt brings to the apartment is beautiful. Blaine hasn’t lived with anyone for many, many years. When he did, it was roommates in a dorm and it never felt like it does with Kurt.

 

They quickly settle into a comfortable routine as they begin to really get to know each other.

 

When Blaine gets home from one of his evening shows, Kurt is usually waiting up in the living room, either reading a book or magazine or watching television. He has a cup of tea ready for Blaine with a bit of honey and lemon and all Blaine can do is sink down on the couch next to him and just – curl up and breathe.

 

They make lunch and occasionally an early dinner together. They sit at the dining room table, something Blaine rarely ever used before Kurt moved in, and drink coffee together in the mornings and read over the paper.

 

Blaine just – he really loves having someone to share this home space with. He’s never actually realized how quiet it had been before, but now that Kurt is here, he knows he’d never want to go back to that solitary lifestyle.

 

Kurt adjusts to New York quickly. Within a few days, he’s already submitting applications to fashion internships and working on his application for NYADA again, along with NYU. Kurt admits he’s really not sure what route he wants to take and Blaine encourages him to try things and fail.

 

“It’s the best way to learn and rule things out,” says Blaine. “Plus, you really, really don’t have to worry about money, okay? I want to make sure you find a path you like.”

 

Kurt accepts the offer, though Blaine knows he’s still not quite comfortable with Blaine’s money.

 

Their relationship is evolving, as well. There are more kisses, more touches. The other night, only two weeks after Kurt moved in, was the first time they spent making out on the couch like teenagers for nearly an hour.

 

How it happened, Blaine isn’t sure. He just knows he leaned over during the movie they were watching and kissed the edge of Kurt’s mouth and in the next moment they were kissing and breathless and at one point Blaine had laid down on the couch and let Kurt crouch over him.

 

Though Blaine has done plenty more than making out and getting hard in his pants before having to cool down, it feels like more. He can see in Kurt how it is to feel this all for the first time and Blaine can echo that in that, this is the first time doing this with his soulmate. It’s a whole different game, suddenly.

 

One of the first nights after Kurt moved to the city, Blaine got him a prime ticket for his show.

 

It had to be one of the most nerve-wracking shows of his career – maybe even more so than his very first Broadway show ever.

 

Afterwards Kurt comes to his dressing room and hugs him and tells him that it was amazing.

 

“I was so proud of you,” says Kurt. “That – that I was with you. Even sitting in the audience. You just light up the stage.”

 

“Thank you,” says Blaine, his voice getting thick. “I wanted you to be.”

 

Then he introduces Kurt to all his friends backstage, holding his hand tightly as he introduces him as his soulmate.

 

He hasn’t told anyone yet, wanting it to be a big surprise, so everyone just freaks out. They all want to see their marks, which they show, and want to take them out drinking to celebrate until Kurt says that he’s only nineteen. That gets a pause, for only just a moment, until they curse and say they’ll get Kurt drinks anyway – he doesn’t have to worry. Kurt laughs at that, nose crinkling.

 

“I was hoping your friends would like me,” says Kurt as they walk back to the apartment that night from the subway.

 

“Of course they would. Why wouldn’t they?”

 

“Because I’m nineteen years old,” says Kurt, in a tone that says “isn’t it obvious?”

 

“Well a few of them are barely out of their teens,” says Blaine. “And they could care less about the age difference, especially considering the soulmate thing. They aren’t like my asshole classmates in high school.”

 

“I’m just – afraid, I guess, that some people will be like that,” says Kurt.

 

“You don’t have to be afraid,” says Blaine.

 

For some reason, Kurt smiles at that and nods. “You’re right. Come on – last one upstairs has to make the tea!”

 

Kurt hasn’t had much luck landing interviews for his internships yet. It’s almost a month since he’s moved and Blaine knows Kurt is just – freaking out. He hasn’t been able to get a straight answer from NYADA about auditioning again and he’s not sure if he wants to commit to NYU or not – if he gets in.

 

So Blaine throws around a bit of his weight.

 

He calls in a favor to a friend at Vogue dot com and asks him to put Kurt’s application right onto Isabelle Wright’s desk. “Just put it there. I don’t want to force her to take him on – but I want him to just have a chance.”

 

It works like a charm because two days later, Kurt tells him he has an interview with Isabelle Wright.

 

Blaine expresses how happy he is and…sort of let it slips that he called in a favor.

 

At that, Kurt’s face pales and his excited exterior slips away.

 

“You…called in a favor?” he asks.

 

Blaine is confused, at first. “Yes, well, you weren’t getting any calls and I know how upset that was making you –“

 

“What do you mean by favor?” asks Kurt, his voice suddenly icy.

 

Oh wow, Blaine realizes dimly, this must be their first fight.

 

“I asked a friend who works there to put your application on top of the pile for Isabelle. So she could see it –“

 

“I don’t need you to – to – pull strings for me to get a job!” says Kurt, his voice growing higher. “Do you think I can’t do it by myself?”

 

“No, of course –“

 

“That I need my famous, rich, older soulmate to talk to people and make them give me jobs?” asks Kurt. “Because – that hurts. It really hurts.”

 

“I don’t think that at all,” says Blaine. “I just – I didn’t even say it was me, really. I just wanted you to get noticed. I didn’t tell her to hire you or – you’ll still have to nail the interview it’s just – I wanted you to get your foot in the door.”

 

“It sounds like you’re pulling more strings than that,” says Kurt. “I don’t want to get a job because of you. I want to get it because I deserve it.”

 

“And you will! It’s not like that. You’re going to get this job because you’re talented and you have an eye for fashion, Kurt,” says Blaine and he slowly reaches out for Kurt’s hand.

 

Kurt’s arms are crossed over his chest and he’s closed off from Blaine. He stares at Blaine’s outstretched hand for a long moment before he sighs and reaches for it. His shoulders un-tense just slightly.

 

“Kurt, you have to understand that this business – both Broadway and Fashion – is a lot about who you know and who can get you in the door. Some of it is luck, but a lot can be seen as favoritism. That’s just how it is. And so maybe I’m your in – but you have to know that whatever happens at that interview tomorrow is all you, okay?”

 

“Okay,” says Kurt after a pause. “Okay. I’m sorry.”

 

“Don’t be sorry,” says Blaine. “I should have asked you first. But you were just talking about how much you wanted that internship in particular and – I didn’t want you to not have a chance at it.”

 

“Yeah,” says Kurt. “I do want it so…thank you.”

 

“And I want you to know something,” says Blaine, his tone serious, which Kurt perks his years up to. “I want to take care of you, Kurt. And maybe that means I take care of you mentally, by just being here, or financially or whatever I can do. If you wanted something to happen, I would make it happen for you. I’ve been in this business forever and honestly, I could throw my weight around more if I wanted to. I could get you a role on Broadway tomorrow if you wanted, but I know you don’t want to do it like that. Not really. And I admire how hard you want to work for what you get. Which is why I got you your interview – not the job.”

 

Blaine can see the wheels turning in Kurt’s head and then he nods. “Yeah. I can see what you mean.” He lets out a loud sigh and Blaine pulls his hand until Kurt comes and sits on his lap.

 

After a few silence moments, Blaine whispers, “So this was our first fight.”

 

That makes Kurt burst out into laughter. “No no, our first fight was a week into me living here when I wanted to take away those tacky drapes out of the living room and you pouted for an hour. I won that fight, by the way.”

 

That makes Blaine laugh as well and hug his arms around Kurt’s waist and press his head into his shoulder.

 

“I love you.”

 

Under Blaine’s hold, Kurt freezes for a moment, then relaxes.

 

“I love you, too.”

 

It’s the first time they’ve ever said it and Blaine honestly wonders why they’ve waited so long.

 

Kurt gets the Vogue dot com internship, of course. Isabelle Wright actually adores him, which is crazy. Finally being able to work – especially doing something he loves – makes being in the city even better.

 

He even decides to put off looking into reapplying for NYADA until next fall. He finds he really likes the fashion business, so far, and that focusing on that might be the best idea.

 

As time passes, the relationship between Kurt and Blaine progresses.

 

They go out on dates often; Blaine insists he has to show Kurt all of his favorite spots in New York anyway. Even the nights they stay in and sit on the couch and watch movies feel special. It feels…domestic. Happy.

 

Their physical relationship progresses as well.

 

At first what had just been heavy make out sessions on the couch turn into even more roaming hands – both on Blaine and Kurt’s parts – and lots of rubbing. Kurt thought he would have more reservations, being intimate with Blaine, but when they’re in the moment everything feels so right. Blaine has told him, time and time again, that they can go at his pace.

 

Maybe his pace is faster than he first thought.

 

The first time they have sex is amazing. More than amazing, really. It feels like the world stops for the moments they are together. Kurt, who has never done anything like this, feels it, but even Blaine, who has had experience, knows this is different.

 

It is. It’s being intimate with a soulmate. That means not just your bodies joining, but your souls. It adds a completely different layer to something that is already so personal.

 

Shortly after their first time together, Kurt gives up all reservations and ends up moving into Blaine’s room. He’s not sure how to bring it up, but thankfully Blaine does for him.

 

“Stay,” says Blaine. They’re both sated and a little too sweaty for Kurt’s tastes, but he can’t bring himself to move.

 

“I was planning on it,” says Kurt, his fingers tracing down the plane of Blaine’s arm. “You’re not kicking me out of bed.”

 

“No, stay forever,” Blaine says, tightening his hold on Kurt’s waist. “I never sleep better than when you’re next to me.”

 

“Oh,” says Kurt. “Okay. Yes.”

 

All his bathroom things make it into Blaine’s large master bathroom the next day and Blaine’s clothes are rearranged, making room in the spacious walk in closet for Kurt’s things.

 

Most of all, they get to curl in next to each other for bed every night and every single night Kurt feels like one of the luckiest man alive. Finally, Kurt understands the big deal about sex. It really isn't just touches and pleasures and your bodies connecting - it's more than that. It's your souls reaching out and seemingly acting on behalf of your bodies and connecting themselves. Kurt has never felt more at peace than when he and Blaine are intimate and tangled together - both physically and mentally - in bed coming down from highs.

 

Blaine tells him once, voice full of emotion, that Kurt moved him. It's a way to express this connection they have, being soulmates.

 

 

Kurt nervously walks around the ballroom again, making sure everything is perfect.

 

He’s been working for Isabelle for three months now and he can’t believe he was trusted with elements of this benefit dinner. Kurt had been working with Isabelle on the guest list for over a month and he can’t believe that both that, and the whole event, has come together so smoothly.

 

“Stop worrying,” says Isabelle, coming up next to him and handing him a drink flute. “And this is the only glass you can have. You deserve it.” She winks.

 

Kurt feels his face heat up. He really, really loves this job – and honestly, he thinks if he plays his cards right that Isabelle could help promote him one day to more than just an intern. He still has dreams of designing, after all (along with his Broadway dreams).

 

“It’s such a good turn out this year,” sighs Isabelle into her own glass. “We’re really going to raise so much money with these deep pockets. And if they just buy one of the new designs from the spring line…” She brings her glass up and takes a sip, only to almost choke on it. “Oh my – is that – Blaine Anderson?”

 

Kurt turns his head and, sure enough, Blaine is walking through the crowd. He spots them and smiles, making a beeline toward them.

 

“How did we get Blaine Anderson to show up to an event?” asks Isabelle. “Of course we always invite Broadway’s most elite, but he never goes to these things. Oh god. What if he buys –“ She stops talking when she realizes that Blaine is only a few feet away and getting closer.

 

“Good evening,” says Blaine. His arm slips easily around Kurt’s waist and he reaches up, just slightly with the height differences, to kiss Kurt’s lips in greeting. “The place looks amazing. I’m glad all your work paid off.” Then he looks to Isabelle, a warm smile on his face, and is already reaching out his hand. “Hello. I’m Blaine Anderson, you must be Isabelle Wright.”

 

“I – yes – I am,” she says, taken aback. “How do you –“

 

“Kurt talks about you all the time,” says Blaine. “I know he’ll probably hit me in a moment, but he really admires you and just loves working for the company.”

 

“You’re right,” says Kurt, nudging Blaine.

 

“Kurt is this…your boyfriend?” asks Isabelle.

 

“Soulmate,” says Kurt. He holds up his hand, showing his wrist. It’s amazing how, often times, people don’t notice or even see your mark. It’s in a place that is easy to conceal more often than not and really, just something people pass over a lot. He’s not surprised that Isabelle has never noticed what name is there. “Blaine is the reason I moved to New York, actually. We met a little over six months ago in Lima. And well – I guess running away to New York wasn’t so crazy after all.”

 

“That’s – oh!” says Isabelle. “That’s so romantic,” she says, bringing her hand up to her heart. “And Mr. Anderson – you look so handsome tonight. What suit is it that you’re wearing?”

 

“Please, call me Blaine,” he says. “And actually, it’s something Kurt made for me a few months ago. I’m glad to finally get an excuse to wear it out.”

 

“Kurt – you made this?” asks Isabelle.

 

Kurt finds himself nodding, even more embarrassed. The midnight blue suit looks amazing on Blaine, of course. Kurt had found the material in a cute little shop when they were out and Blaine had bought it immediately when he saw how Kurt was eyeing it. Kurt had insisted he make it into a suit for him, however, and Blaine obliged. It was slim fitting and hugged Blaine’s trim waist in all the right ways. Kurt was rather proud of it, actually. He’d never had good material to work with before, in Lima. He wouldn’t have been able to afford it.

 

“Well,” says Isabelle. “I think it’s obvious we have you working in the wrong job.”

 

Kurt things she’s joking. He laughs and, after a few more minutes of conversation, they part and Kurt and Blaine go to enjoy the night.

 

On Monday, Kurt is fired.

 

He’s about to cry until Isabelle tells him that his new job is to work closely with her team to learn more about design.

 

So he’s not an intern anymore.

 

“I’m so proud of you,” Blaine says later that night, after their second round of celebratory sex.

 

Kurt leans up on his arm, looking down at Blaine. “Thank you, again,” he says. After a short pause. “You know what I’ve just realized, recently?”

 

Blaine shifts slightly, turning onto his side. “What is that?”

 

“I feel…I feel like I’m an adult,” Kurt admits. “Like you and me – maybe we’re starting to get on the same level.”

 

“Kurt,” he says. “We’ve always been on the same level.”

 

“I mean with our careers. Our life,” says Kurt. “You can’t deny that when we met – I wasn’t on par. I was a barista and a college aged boy who wasn’t even in college. Now I’m – I’m going to be helping with design. In a few years I could be launching my own line. Maybe. Or if I decide I could go to singing or acting if I wanted and put my mind to it. I suddenly feel – at home here.”

 

“Just now?” asks Blaine.

 

“I think I’ve felt like this for a while,” says Kurt. “I mean. I’ve felt comfortable with you since I moved in really. But out there, in the city, I didn’t have a place. Now I do. I feel like I belong.”

 

“Of course you do,” says Blaine. He pulls Kurt down to his chest and hugs him close. “You belong in this city and you belong with me.”

 

Kurt smiles against Blaine’s chest and sighs. He shifts his eyes and catches a glimpse of his soulmate mark. The mark that reads “Blaine Anderson.”

 

Six months ago, that name was just a name; now he was being held by the man that had that name and in the city of his dreams. He was real, flesh and blood, and he was absolutely perfect for Kurt.

 

“Yeah,” says Kurt. “And you belong with me.”

 

He feels Blaine’s hold tighten and a loud exhale. Kurt knows, after getting to know about Blaine’s life – all the waiting and hoping that one day he would meet the Kurt Hummel that appeared on his wrist much too late that a moment like this, just a little moment, meant more than anything to him.

 

“I love you,” says Blaine.

 

“I love you more.”

 

“Let’s call it a draw.”

 

“I don’t know,” says Kurt, his hands moving down Blaine’s waist. “Best two out of three?"

end


End file.
